Oklahoma Religious Freedom Act; providing certain closures be deemed substantial burden; prohibiting certain restriction of access. Effective date.

SB 499 amends Oklahoma's Religious Freedom Act to protect religious organizations, particularly 501(c)(3) places of worship, during emergencies. It defines emergency closures of such facilities as automatically constituting a "substantial burden" on religious exercise, prohibits treating religious activities as "nonessential" with stricter rules than comparable non-religious businesses, and bans restrictions on access to religious gatherings unless illegal activity is involved. The law also explicitly prohibits government discrimination in funding, benefits, or programs based solely on religious affiliation. These provisions apply to all government entities and take effect November 1, 2025.